As medici.tv’s Chief Content Officer I spend a lot of time thinking about classical music—and a lot of time on the internet. Here’s my selection of the top five news items you need to see this week if you want to stay in the know.
Myung-whun Chung announced as the next music director of La Scala (Bachtrack)
Renowned South Korean conductor Myung-whun Chung will take on one of classical music’s most prestigious roles next year as Music Director of Milan’s Teatro alla Scala. When he takes over for maestro Riccardo Chailly, Chung will become only the second non-Italian conductor to lead the iconic theater (the other was Daniel Barenboim). Although Chung has a long relationship with La Scala dating back to the 1980s, the announcement came as a surprise for many in the milieu who expected the role to go to Daniele Gatti.
Witness maestro Chung in action in this 2015 farewell concert marking the end of his tenure at the helm of the Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France:
Classically-trained countenor wins the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest (Classic FM)
For the second year in a row, the winning Eurovision entry has a link to the world of opera. Austrian countertenor JJ took home top prize for his performance of “Wasted Love,” a genre-bending emotional song that spotlights his stratospheric vocals. JJ is a classically-trained singer and has even performed at the renowned Wiener Staatsoper, who sent him their best wishes on Instagram.
Bernstein’s children weigh in on the Kennedy Center drama (The New York Times)
In an op-ed in The New York Times, American musical icon Leonard Bernstein’s three children addressed the drama that has unfolded at the Kennedy Center since President Trump has taken office. In the wake of numerous cancellations and boycotts announced in recent months, Bernstein’s children seek to offer an alternative form of rebellion, which they think their father would have encouraged: “We understand if artists feel the best way for them is to refuse to appear at the Kennedy Center. But we believe that we can make our own strong statement, in honor of our father, by letting people hear his music in that space, as an audible rebuke to Mr. Trump’s ugly policies. We plan to donate whatever proceeds we receive from upcoming Kennedy Center performances to the American Civil Liberties Union.”
Anna Lapwood named first-ever Official Organist of Royal Albert Hall (Instagram)
The Royal Albert Hall announced this week that the internet’s favorite organist Anna Lapwood will become the hall’s first-ever Official Organist. Lapwood has been an Associate Artist for the past three years and in this newly-created role, she will continue to champion organ outreach through new programs and a new scholarship program.
Seven iconic Salomes (The New York Times)
To celebrate the opening of a new production of Salomé at The Met, The New York Times took a look back at seven legendary versions of the infamous Dance of Seven Veils from Richard Strauss’s opera Salomé — one of the boldest and most challenging moments in all of opera that has inspired an extremely wide range of stagings, tempi, and performance styles.
